Why do so many leadership programs sound great in theory but fall apart in real moments?

In this episode of the Performance Matters Podcast, host Michael Thiel sits down with Björn Billhardt, CEO of Abilitie, and Lisa Fagan, our Vice President of Global Leadership & Inclusion, to explore what it really takes to build leadership capability at speed. The conversation dives into simulation-based leadership development, AI-enabled practice environments, psychological safety, and why repeated practice matters more than frameworks alone. From giving feedback under pressure to measuring real behavior change, the episode examines how organizations can move beyond traditional training and develop leaders who are ready for moments that matter.

Michael, Björn, and Lisa also unpack the future of leadership in the AI era, including where AI can accelerate development, where human judgment still matters most, and why learning velocity is becoming a competitive advantage for modern organizations.

Listen now to discover how organizations can build leadership readiness through practice, feedback, and real-world application.

The post Episode 169 | Slowing Down to Speed Up: The AI-Era Leadership Shift appeared first on GP Strategies.

In Episode 2 of “The Learning Velocity Series,” Performance Matters Podcast host Michael Thiel digs into the “how” behind learning velocity with two of GP Strategies’ sharpest minds: Chief Learning and Innovation Officer, Matt Donovan, and Senior Director of Consulting, Ella Richardson.

Together, they unpack what it takes to move at the speed of business—from atomic instructional design and modular, embedded learning to the two synchronized tracks every learning organization must run on: operational excellence today and transformation for tomorrow.

Matt and Ella tackle the hard questions: Why has the percentage of L&D teams seen as strategic partners dropped from 50% to just 19%? Why do organizations default to “just build something” when they feel behind? Where is AI personalization truly delivering, and where has it been overhyped?

You’ll also hear why “going slow to go fast” isn’t a contradiction, and why judgment—knowing what not to do—may be the most undervalued leadership skill in the age of AI.

Download the companion Learning Velocity™ Guide from GP Strategies for deeper insights across all three episodes.

Catch the full episode below: 

The post Episode 168 | Building Learning Velocity™: From Innovation to Architecture appeared first on GP Strategies.

That’s the question at the heart of this first episode of The Learning Velocity Series, a three-part series on why learning velocity—the ability to build capabilities at the speed of business change—has become the defining competitive advantage.

Performance Matters Podcast host Michael Thiel sits down with GP Strategies CEO JF Vezina to set the stakes. JF unpacks why the old workforce development playbook is broken, why speed to capability is a fundamentally different game than more training, and why only 19% of L&D teams are seen as true strategic partners inside their organizations.

JF also makes a bold prediction about 2026 and what it means for every learning leader navigating continuous disruption.

Whether you’re a CLO, a CHRO, or a business leader trying to close critical skill gaps, this episode will challenge how you think about learning and what it takes to amplify your people’s potential at the speed of opportunity.

???? Download the companion Learning Velocity™ Guide from GP Strategies for deeper insights across all three episodes.

The post Episode 167 | The Learning Velocity Imperative appeared first on GP Strategies.

2025 has been a disruptive year for learning and talent, and 2026 promises even more change. In this episode of the Performance Matters podcast, host Michael Thiel sits down with Matt Donovan, GP Strategies Chief Learning and Innovation Officer, to unpack five learning trends that matter most for enterprise L&D and HR leaders.

Listen and learn how organizations build capability, integrate AI, and elevate performance so CLOs, L&D, and HR leaders can move faster, smarter, and more sustainably into 2026.

Enterprise learning leaders are under pressure to keep pace with AI while still protecting quality, compliance, and culture. This Future Focus episode of Performance Matters asks a simple but urgent question: if AI can run complex work tasks end‑to‑end, what does that mean for how L&D designs, delivers, and measures learning?

Theodora Michaelidou, Innovation Learning Consultant from Cyprus and Paul Andrews, Learning Experience Consultant from Shrewsbury, England join the show to explore whether enterprise L&D is truly ready for AI browsers and agentic tools, and how leaders can turn them into safe, adaptive learning and performance support at scale.

Traditional browsers like Chrome helped people find information; AI browsers and agentic tools are now helping them complete work. In the episode, Paul Andrews explains that newer “agentic” browsers can plan, click, and navigate on a user’s behalf—more like a digital co‑pilot than a search bar.

For L&D and HR, this shift changes how employees seek support and solve problems on the job. Instead of searching a learning portal, they can delegate tasks to an AI that reads policies, compares options, and drafts outputs in real time. If learning teams do not design for this reality, employees will still use these tools, just without appropriate guardrails.

Much of today’s digital learning is still built around predefined paths: pick a role, follow a linear journey, complete a course. Paul describes how AI can now remix content on the fly, adjusting the experience based on what a learner gets right or wrong and what they need next.

Instead of a single branching scenario, an AI‑enabled system can draw from a library of approved assets and assemble a bespoke path in the moment. The result looks more like a modern video game that adapts to how you play than a rigid eLearning module that looks the same for everyone.

For global organizations, this also opens the door to GEO‑sensitive experiences that reflect local regulations, markets, and examples while still aligning to a common global framework. An AI layer can pull region‑specific scenarios, terminology, and compliance nuances without forcing L&D teams to rebuild every course from scratch.

One of the most common complaints from business stakeholders is that they invested heavily in training content, but their people still cannot get quick answers when they need them. Theo highlights how AI tools can turn existing content libraries into conversational, just‑in‑time support.

By feeding policies, procedures, playbooks, and learning assets into an AI browser or chatbot, organizations can let employees ask questions in natural language and receive targeted guidance grounded in their own content. Crucially, Theo stresses that this must be a human‑plus‑AI model: experts still validate outputs, monitor risk, and refine prompts and guardrails.

For regionally distributed workforces, this just‑in‑time approach can also be localized without fragmenting content. A single global knowledge base can be tuned with GEO‑specific rules so that, for example, a retail manager in North America and one in Europe each receive guidance that reflects their local environment.

The episode also explores how ideas from gaming—especially non‑player characters (NPCs)—are shaping the next generation of learning simulations. Paul explains that NPCs in games already respond dynamically to a player’s behavior, and AI can bring similar responsiveness to learning.

Instead of static role‑plays where the “customer” or “leader” always reacts the same way, AI‑driven characters can respond differently based on what the learner says or does. This enables more realistic practice for leadership, coaching, customer experience, and sales, tuned to regional norms and customer expectations.

For L&D and HR, this means practice environments that can scale globally while still feeling local—for example, simulating conversations with customers in specific countries or coaching scenarios shaped by local labor practices.

L&D and HR leaders do not need to rebuild their entire ecosystem to benefit from AI; they need targeted, high‑value use cases. The conversation suggests several practical starting points:

Offerings such as GP Strategies’ Learning Experience Design & Innovation services can help organizations experiment safely, define governance, and align AI use with measurable performance outcomes.

The episode ultimately reframes “Is L&D ready for AI?” into more actionable questions. Leaders can use these as a simple readiness checklist:

By treating AI as an extension of learning and performance strategy, not a separate experiment, L&D and HR can move from anxiety to action and ensure AI is rearranging the furniture in ways that actually support capability, culture, and business results.

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What if your next learning journey wasn’t just digital or face-to-face, but smart, adaptive, and powered by AI? In this episode of Performance Matters, host Michael Thiel sits down with Patrick Billingsley, Principal Learning Consultant at GP Strategies, to explore how AI is transforming blended learning. From personalized experiences and role-play bots to learning in the flow of work, this conversation reveals the three stages of AI adoption and practical tips for L&D leaders. Tune in and learn how to design smarter, more impactful learning journeys.

In an era where artificial intelligence is rapidly reshaping the workplace, leadership itself is undergoing a profound transformation. This episode of the Performance Matters Podcast dives into how leaders can thrive—not by competing with machines, but by embracing what makes them deliberately human.

In this thought-provoking episode, Michael Thiel and Nic Gervin explore how artificial intelligence is not just transforming tasks, it’s reshaping the very identity of leadership. As AI automates what was once considered uniquely human, leaders are grappling with a dual sensation: the thrill of possibility and the discomfort of disruption.

This shift isn’t just technical, it’s deeply emotional. Leaders must now redefine their value, not in spite of AI, but because of it.

Organizations need a powerful mindset shift: leaders must move from executing tasks to creating value. This means embracing emotional intelligence, reframing narratives, and helping teams rediscover their unique human contributions.

There are five essential capabilities that elevate leadership in a data-saturated, AI-driven world:

Understanding how the business truly operates to contextualize AI insights beyond dashboards and reports.

Envisioning the future, anticipating trends, and crafting pathways through uncertainty with ethical foresight.

Thinking beyond silos and fostering collective success by recognizing the broader impact of decisions.

Blending logic with imagination to challenge AI assumptions and design innovative solutions.

Interrogating data with human judgment, storytelling, and ethical reasoning to make meaningful choices.

The VITAL framework helps leaders remember and apply these capabilities:

GP Strategies has launched a new immersive training series based on these five capabilities. It’s designed to help leaders build these muscles in real time, whether they’re shaping strategy, leading teams, or navigating AI disruption.

This episode is a call to action for leaders to embrace their humanity as a strategic advantage. As Nic puts it, “AI can replicate tasks, but it can’t replicate you.” Leadership in the age of AI is not about competing with machines, it’s about elevating what makes us uniquely human.

In this special episode, host Michael Thiel explores a story of navigating change at one of the world’s most iconic brands, tracing the path from resistance to readiness. We discover how organizations and individuals move through the discomfort of change to achieve transformation.

Joining us are Dr. Cheryl Jackson, Director of the Organizational Design and Change Management Practice at GP Strategies, and Rob Ulrich, Senior Manager of Training and Engagement at Gibson Guitars.

Dr. Jackson defines resistance in an organizational context as any pushback or opposition to a change in the environment. It can appear as skepticism, avoidance, or even outward defiance. Resistance is rarely just stubbornness; it usually stems from a fear of the unknown, uncertainty from a lack of trust, a sense of loss, or simply a desire to maintain the status quo. Change is uncomfortable, and people generally avoid discomfort.

Crucially, resistance shouldn’t be seen as purely negative. It’s a natural response to a perceived threat. If no resistance is heard during a change, it suggests a broken feedback loop, or that people don’t feel safe to raise concerns. Listening to concerns can actually be very informative and lead to better solutions, ultimately creating stronger advocates for the change once the resistance is addressed.

Rob Ulrich shares Gibson Guitars’ journey to implement “the Gibson way of building guitars,” a project focused on standardizing all ways of working. For 130 years, the company operated with a lot of tribal knowledge and social learning, which was hard to maintain when experienced employees moved on. The goal was to shift the mindset from finding new ways to get through the work to refocusing creativity on improving the standard way of doing it.

Resistance at Gibson, though expected, manifested as:

However, as the team shared more information, employees began raising concerns and questions, which showed they were listening and starting to get involved.

Key concerns raised by team members included:

Gibson used these questions and concerns to improve the development process and build better, sustainable tools. Rob states the most important thing they did was listening.

Actions taken to address resistance and move to readiness included:

These techniques worked because they provided each person with what they needed to feel heard, valued, and respected. The leadership’s visibility and reinforced, authentic communication was powerful. The approach was designed to move people through the change curve from awareness to full adoption.

Evidence the change was effective:

Rob’s biggest lesson learned was that change has to feel like it’s happening with people, not to them. This was achieved through a combination of change management and internal marketing to invite participation.

Dr. Jackson offers three key takeaways for any organization to achieve similar results:

Ultimately, a strong change management practice helps reduce stress on teams, making life better for employees not only at work but also at home.

Remember: Resistance isn’t a wall, it’s a signal. And it might just be your greatest ally in the journey to success.

Matt Donovan joins the show to introduce a transformative approach to instructional design which breaks learning into its smallest meaningful components, like atoms and molecules, rather than traditional course structures.

Applying Atomic Design to learning and development isn’t necessarily a new idea, but AI orchestration is now able to make it happen at scale.

Learning is no longer built as monolithic courses but as modular, recombinable assets which can be assembled dynamically by AI based on learner needs, context, and performance goals. But it must be used to foster meaningful connections and not just automate content creation.

How does this next-generation personalization work? How Where does it leave instructional designers in the process? Learn the answers to these questions and more in this future-thinking episode.

Nic Girvan joins the show to challenge the traditional approach to training budgets and advocates for investing in individual contributors. Nic explores how empowering frontline employees with development opportunities can drive performance, engagement, and long-term growth.

Learn about the concept of the corporate lattice, a modern alternative to the outdated corporate ladder, how it supports diverse career paths, deeper expertise, and how people-centered development can transform your culture and prepare your workforce for whatever comes next.